Glove with sensors for exercise tracking

ABSTRACT

An example glove includes a first enclosure configured to receive a user&#39;s hand and a second enclosure configured to retain a mobile electronic device, wherein the second enclosure is affixed to the first enclosure. The second enclosure may be disposed on a back portion of the glove, or on a palm portion of the glove. An example system includes a glove comprising an enclosure for receiving a hand of a user, an accelerometer, and a transmitter configured to transmit data generated by the accelerometer. The glove may further include one or more additional sensors, such as a heart rate sensor or a pressure sensor. The glove may further include a processor configured to collect data from the sensors and to perform analyses useful for fitness tracking, such as determining a heart rate of the user, a distance traveled by the user, or a rate of travel of the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application no. 62/517,947, filed on Jun. 11, 2017, and to U.S. provisional application no. 62/607,596, filed on Dec. 19, 2017, both of which applications are entitled “GLOVE WITH SENSORS FOR EXERCISE TRACKING”, and both of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure is generally directed to gloves with sensors for fitness tracking, including gloves having a sleeve configured to retain a mobile electronic device with sensors, and gloves with built-in sensors.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART

Many individuals utilize mobile electronic devices as part of their workout routine. For example, many individuals take advantage of sensors included in their mobile devices for tracking workout intensity, duration, body movement, etc. When using their mobile phones, many individuals utilize a sleeve or other case for the mobile device so as to not need to hold the mobile device while exercising. In general, such sleeves generally are intended to be attached a user's arm.

SUMMARY

An example glove includes a first enclosure configured to receive a user's hand and a second enclosure configured to retain a mobile electronic device, wherein the second enclosure is affixed to the first enclosure. The second enclosure may be disposed on a back portion of the glove, or on a palm portion of the glove.

An example system includes a glove comprising an enclosure for receiving a hand of a user, an accelerometer, and a transmitter configured to transmit data generated by the accelerometer. The glove may further include one or more additional sensors, such as a heart rate sensor or a pressure sensor. The glove may further include a processor configured to collect data from one or more of the sensors and to perform one or more analyses useful for fitness tracking, such as determining a heart rate of the user, a distance traveled by the user, or a rate of travel of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a back perspective view of an example embodiment of a glove having a sleeve for retaining a mobile device.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the example glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the example glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the example glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of an example embodiment of a glove having a sleeve for retaining a mobile device.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the example glove of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of an example embodiment of a glove having a sleeve for retaining a mobile device.

FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of the example glove of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a fitness tracking system that includes a glove having sensors.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an example embodiment of a sleeve for retaining a mobile device.

FIG. 11 is a back perspective view of the example sleeve of FIG. 10, with a clasp and retainer of the sleeve both in a closed state.

FIG. 12 is a back perspective view of the example sleeve of FIG. 10, with the sleeve of the retainer in an open state.

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the example sleeve of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a back perspective view of the example sleeve of FIG. 10, with the clasp of the sleeve in a partially-open state.

FIG. 15 is a back perspective view of the example sleeve of FIG. 10, with the clasp of the sleeve in an open state.

FIG. 16 is a back perspective view of an example embodiment of a sleeve for retaining a mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Known means for utilizing mobile electronic devices may not fully take advantage of the movement tracking and other capabilities of those mobile electronic devices. For example, the instant inventor has appreciated that attaching a mobile phone to a user's hand when running more accurately tracks that user's running distance than attaching the phone to the runner's arm. Similar advantages may be obtained with a “smart glove” that includes sensors in the glove itself

The instant inventor has also appreciated that attaching the mobile device to the user's hand, rather than the user's arm, provides increased access to the screen of the phone, such that the user can look at the screen of the mobile electronic device while in the sleeve if the sleeve is provided on a glove on the user's hand.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to the same or similar features in the various views, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an example embodiment of a glove 10 having a sleeve 12 for retaining a mobile device. The glove 10 may include a body 14 defining a first enclosure 16 for receiving and retaining a user's hand. The portion of the glove body 14 defining the first enclosure 16 may be made from cloth, leather, wool, latex, neoprene, and/or any other acceptable material for a glove.

The glove body 14 may be formed by an inner layer in contact with a user's hand, an outer layer, and zero, one, two, or more layers or types of insulation between the inner layer and the outer layer.

The glove body 14 may define one or more openings for access to the first enclosure 16. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, openings 18 for one or more fingers may be provided (not all such openings 18 are designated in the figures), and a cuff opening 20 for insertion and removal of the user's hand may be included in the body 14 of the glove.

The glove may further include a sleeve 12 defining a second enclosure 22 configured to retain a mobile electronic device, such as a mobile phone, for example only. The sleeve may include an inner surface 24 that is closest to the user's hand and an outer surface 26 that is furthest from the user's hand, in an embodiment. The outer surface 26 may be or may include a transparent or translucent material, such as a clear plastic, in an embodiment. The outer surface 26 may thus enable a user to view a screen of a mobile electronic device while disposed in the second enclosure.

The sleeve 12 may include one or more openings for access to the second enclosure, in an embodiment. For example, the sleeve may include an opening 28 for insertion and removal of a mobile electronic device. Such an opening 28 may be disposed on an end of the sleeve that is closest to the user's thumb, in an embodiment, so that the opening 28 is oriented up when the glove is worn by a user. The sleeve may additionally include one or more openings for access to buttons or other controls of a mobile electronic device disposed in the sleeve, in an embodiment.

The second enclosure 22 may be sized and shaped to tightly secure a mobile electronic device. For example, in an embodiment, the second enclosure may have an interior width of 2-3.5 inches and an interior length of 3-7 inches, in embodiments.

The second enclosure 22 may be made from cloth, leather, wool, latex, neoprene, and/or any other acceptable material for a mobile electronic device enclosure.

The second enclosure 22 may be affixed to the first enclosure 20, in an embodiment. That is, the sleeve 12 may be affixed to the glove body 14, in an embodiment. The sleeve 12 may be affixed to the glove body 14 by stitching, in an embodiment. Additionally or alternatively, some other acceptable means of affixing the sleeve 12 to the glove body 14 may be used. The sleeve 12 may be affixed to the glove body 14 so as to not impede movement of the user's fingers. For example, in an embodiment, the sleeve 12 may be affixed to a central portion of the glove body 14, but not directly to the fingers of the glove body. In an embodiment, the sleeve 12 may be stitched to a portion of the back side of the glove body 14 that is adjacent to an opening for the user's wrist, and also to a portion of the back side of the glove body 14 adjacent to the user's fingers. As a result, the sleeve may contour easily to the user's hand, while still allowing the user to flex his or her fingers and use his or her fingers for other purposes, such as gripping objects during weightlifting, rowing, bicycling, etc.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the second enclosure 22 may be affixed to a back side of the glove body 14. As used herein, the “back” side of the glove body 14 may refer to the side of the glove proximate the back of the user's hand. The “front” side of the glove body 14 may refer to the side of the glove proximate the user's palm, opposite the back side of the glove body 14. The sleeve 12 may be affixed to the back of the glove body 14 when the gloves are intended to be used to hold another object, in an embodiment, such as the handle bar of a bike.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a second example embodiment of a glove 10′ having a sleeve for retaining a mobile device. The example glove 10′ of FIGS. 5 and 6 is the same as the example glove 10 of FIGS. 1-4, but the sleeve 12 is affixed to the front side of the glove body 14 of the glove 10′.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a third example embodiment of a glove 30 having a sleeve 12 for retaining a mobile device. The example glove 30 of FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a glove body 32 defining a first enclosure 34 and a sleeve 12 defining a second enclosure 22 that is affixed to the glove body 32. The glove may further include a third enclosure 34 configured to secure one or more accessories. For example, the third enclosure 34 may be configured to secure an external battery that may be used to charge a mobile electronic device disposed in the second enclosure 22. The third enclosure 34 may be defined by the glove body 32 and may be disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer, in an embodiment. The third enclosure 34 may be disposed on a cuff portion 36 of the glove body, in an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a fitness tracking system 40 that includes a glove 42 having sensors. The system 40 may include a mobile computing device 44 and a glove 42. The glove 42 may include one or more accelerometers 46, one or more heart rate sensors 48, one or more pressure sensors 50, and/or other sensors. The mobile computing device 44 may be a smartphone, tablet, or other computing device, in an embodiment.

The sensors 46, 48, 50 may be disposed at appropriate positions in a body of the glove 42. For example, in an embodiment, the accelerometer 46 may be disposed in a back or front portion of the glove body. In an embodiment, one or more heart rate sensors 48 may be disposed in a cuff portion of the glove body and/or in the fingers of the glove body. In an embodiment, one or more pressure sensors 50 may be disposed in the fingers of the glove body. The glove body may be in one of the forms depicted in FIGS. 1-8, in an embodiment.

The glove 42 may further include a processor 52, a program memory 54, and a data memory 56. The program memory 54 may store instructions that may be executed by the processor 52 to perform one or more of the methods, techniques, steps, etc. of this disclosure. In embodiments, the program memory 54 may include one or more programs, processes, etc. for analyzing data from the sensors 46, 48, 50 and determining a rate of movement, distance traveled, heart rate, energy expended (e.g., calories burned), or other measurement useful for fitness tracking. For example, data from the one or more accelerometers 46 may be utilized to determine a rate or travel and/or distance traveled by the user. Data from the one or more heart rate sensors 48 may be used to determine a user's heart rate and information that may be derived from heart rate, such as calories burned, for example. The processes may be specifically calibrated to the location of the sensors on the user's hand. Data from the one or more pressure sensors 50 may be used to measure force of an object in the glove or striking the glove such as, for example, a ball caught by the user with the glove (e.g., in an embodiment in which the glove is a baseball or football glove, for example). Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pressure sensors 50 may be used to measure a user's underwater depth (e.g., when scuba diving).

The processor 52 may be in electronic communication with the data memory 56 and the sensors 46, 48, 50 and may be configured to receive data from the sensors 46, 48, 50, analyze that information according to instructions stored in the program memory 54, and store received data and/or results of analyses on that data in the data memory 56.

The glove 42 may further include a transmitter/receiver 58 in electronic communication with the processor 52 and configured to receive and transmit data under control of the processor 52. For example, the processor 52 may instruct the transmitter 58 to transmit data stored in the data memory 56, in an embodiment.

In an embodiment, the transmitter 58 may be in direct electronic communication (i.e., without the processor in between) with one or more of the sensors 46, 48, 50. In such an embodiment, the transmitter 58 may transmit data as it is produced by the sensors 46, 48, 50 to an external computing device, such as the mobile computing device 44. Such capability may be provided, for example, in an embodiment of the glove 42 that lacks a processor 52.

The transmitter/receiver 58 may communicate according to or may be compliant with any appropriate communications protocol. For example, the transmitter/receiver may communication according to one or more of BLUETOOTH, WiFi, WIMAX, and/or RF, in embodiments.

The electronic components of the glove 42 may be disposed between an outer layer of the glove and an inner layer of the glove, in an embodiment. Two or more of the electronic components of the glove may be provided on a single integrated circuit, in an embodiment. The electronic components of the glove 42 may include one or more batteries for powering the electronics, in an embodiment. The battery may be coupled to a port on the glove (e.g., a micro-USB port, USB-C port, etc.) for charging the battery. Additionally or alternatively, the glove may include one or more non-rechargeable, replaceable batteries.

The glove 42 may be may be configured (via the transmitter/receiver) to communicate electronically with the mobile computing device 44 to execute one or more fitness tracking processes or programs. The processes or programs may be embodied in computer-executable instructions in the program memory 54 (for execution by the processor 52) and/or on the mobile computing device 44. Data may be generated by one or more accelerometers 46, one or more heart rate sensors 48, and/or one or more pressure sensors 50 and may be transmitted from the glove 42 to the mobile computing device 44, either before or after analysis, so that the user can review analysis of his or her workout or other activity performed while wearing the glove. Accordingly, the glove 42 may be configured to analyze raw data from the sensors 46, 48, 50, store the analysis, and later transmit that analysis or the results of that analysis to a mobile computing device 44. Additionally or alternatively, the glove 42 may be configured to collect and store raw data from the sensors 46, 48, 50, and to later transmit that data to a mobile computing device 44 for analysis by the mobile computing device 44. Still further, additionally or alternatively, the glove 42 may be configured to collect and stream, substantially in real time, data from the sensors 46, 48, 50 to a mobile computing device 44 for display and/or analysis.

In addition to or instead of a mobile computing device 44, the glove 42 may also be configured to communication (via the transmitter/receiver 58) with one or more other computing devices, such as personal computers, laptops, etc. The glove 42 may communicate with the computing device in the manner and for the purposes described herein for communications between the glove 42 and a mobile computing device 44, for example. The mobile computing device 44 and/or another computing device may additionally include one or more applications, processes, etc. specifically designed to analyze data from the glove in the same manner than the processor of the glove may analyze such data, as described above.

FIGS. 10-15 are various views of an example embodiment of a sleeve 60 for retaining a mobile device. The sleeve 60 may be worn by a user on and/or around the user's hand, in embodiments. The sleeve 60 may define an enclosure 62 configured to retain a mobile electronic device, such as a mobile phone, for example only. The sleeve 60 may include an inner surface 64 that is configured to be closest to the user's hand when the sleeve is worn by the user and an outer surface 66 that is configured to be furthest from the user's hand when worn, in an embodiment. The outer surface 66 may be or may include a transparent or translucent material, such as a clear plastic, in an embodiment. The outer surface 66 may thus enable a user to view a screen of a mobile electronic device while disposed in the second enclosure.

The sleeve 60 may include one or more openings 68 for access to the enclosure, in an embodiment. For example, the sleeve 60 may include an opening 68 for insertion and removal of a mobile electronic device. The opening 68 may be covered by a flexible and movable flap 70, in an embodiment. The flap 70 may include a fastener portion 72 that mates with a fastener portion 74 on the inner surface of the sleeve. The fastener portions 72, 74 may be, for example, complementary portions of a hook-and-loop fastener. Alternatively, the fastener portions 72, 74 may include a button or other fastener, in embodiments. The sleeve 60 may additionally include one or more openings for access to buttons or other controls of a mobile electronic device disposed in the sleeve, in an embodiment.

The enclosure 62 may be sized and shaped to tightly secure a mobile electronic device. For example, in an embodiment, the enclosure 62 may have an interior width of 2-3.5 inches and an interior length of 3-7 inches, in embodiments.

The sleeve 60, and in particular the portion defining the enclosure 62, may be made from cloth, leather, wool, latex, neoprene, and/or any other acceptable material for a mobile electronic device enclosure.

The sleeve 60 may include a clasp 76 for attaching the sleeve to a user's body, such as a user's hand. In an embodiment, the clasp 76 may include first and second portions 78, 80 that are coupled to opposite ends of the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 60. The first and second portions 78, 80 of the clasp 76 may include respective and complementary coupling structures 82, 84, in an embodiment. For example, the first and second portions 78, 80 may include complementary hook-and-loop fastener portions, in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the first and second portions 78, 80 may include a button or other fastener. The clasp 76 may be made from cloth, leather, wool, latex, neoprene, and/or any other acceptable material. In an embodiment, the clasp 76 (e.g., the first and/or second portions 78, 80 thereof) may be made from a flexible, elastic material. In operation, a user may open the clasp 76 (as shown in FIG. 15) and then close the clasp 76 (as shown in FIG. 11) around the user's hand by joining the coupling structures 82, 84 to each other. The flexibility of the clasp portions 78, 80 and/or the presence of the coupling structures 82, 84 may enable the clasp to fit securely over many different user hand sizes.

In some embodiments, the clasp first portion 78 may include two arms 86, 88 that are directly coupled to the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 60 and a body portion 90. The clasp second portion 80 may similarly include two arms 92, 94 that are directly coupled to the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 60 and a body portion 96. The first and second portions 78, 80 of the clasp may define respective apertures 98, 100, in embodiments, that may accommodate a user's thumb, for example, while the sleeve 60 is worn by the user.

The sleeve 60 may further include a secondary enclosure 102, in an embodiment, configured to receive and retain an accessory for a mobile device stored in the primary enclosure 62, for example. The secondary enclosure 102 may be disposed on the inner surface 64 of the sleeve and under the closed clasp 76, in an embodiment. The secondary enclosure 102 may be made from a flexible, elastic material, in an embodiment. The secondary enclosure 102 may be sized and shaped to secure a portable external battery, for example.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example embodiment of a sleeve 110 for retaining a mobile device. The sleeve 110 of FIG. 16 may be the same as the sleeve 60 of FIGS. 10-15, in an embodiment, but may have a different clasp structure. In an embodiment, the sleeve 110 may include a clasp 112 including a body 114, one or more arm portions 116, 118, 120 that are secured to the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 110, and a belt 122 that is adjustably coupled to both the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 110 and the body 114. Accordingly, a user may slide a hand between the body 114 and the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 110 and tighten or loosen the clasp 112 by adjusting the belt 122.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments, it will be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to these embodiments except as explicitly recited in the claims. On the contrary, the instant disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that systems and methods consistent with this disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of the present disclosure.

Some portions of the detailed descriptions of this disclosure have been presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer or digital system memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A procedure, logic block, process, etc., is herein, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these physical manipulations take the form of electrical or magnetic data capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system or similar electronic computing device. For reasons of convenience, and with reference to common usage, such data is referred to as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like, with reference to various embodiments of the present invention. It should be borne in mind, however, that these terms are to be interpreted as referencing physical manipulations and quantities and are merely convenient labels that should be interpreted further in view of terms commonly used in the art. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion herein, it is understood that throughout discussions of the present embodiment, discussions utilizing terms such as “determining” or “outputting” or “transmitting” or “recording” or “locating” or “storing” or “displaying” or “receiving” or “recognizing” or “utilizing” or “generating” or “providing” or “accessing” or “checking” or “notifying” or “delivering” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data. The data is represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories and is transformed into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers, or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices as described herein or otherwise understood to one of ordinary skill in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A glove comprising: a first enclosure configured to receive a user's hand; a second enclosure configured to retain a mobile electronic device, wherein the second enclosure is affixed to the first enclosure.
 2. The glove of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure is affixed to a back side of the first enclosure, wherein the back side of the first enclosure corresponds to a back side of a user's hand when received within the first enclosure.
 3. The glove of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure is affixed to a front side of the first enclosure, wherein the front side of the first enclosure corresponds to a palm side of a user's hand when received within the first enclosure.
 4. The glove of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure comprises a first side that is affixed to the first enclosure and a second side that is opposite the first side, wherein the second side comprises a transparent or translucent portion.
 5. The glove of claim 1, further comprising an opening for access to the second enclosure, wherein the opening is disposed on a side of the second enclosure that is a nearer to a user's thumb than to the back of the user's hand when the user wears the glove.
 6. The glove of claim 1, further comprising a third enclosure configured to retain a portable battery.
 7. The glove of claim 6, wherein the third enclosure is disposed on a cuff portion of the glove.
 8. The glove of claim 6, wherein the third enclosure is smaller than the second enclosure.
 9. The glove of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure is stitched to the first enclosure.
 10. A system comprising: a glove comprising: an enclosure for receiving a hand of a user; an accelerometer; and a transmitter configured to transmit data generated by the accelerometer.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the glove further comprises: a data memory configured to store data collected from the accelerometer.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the glove further comprises: a processor in electronic communication with the data memory and configured to operate the transmitter to transmit data from the data memory.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the glove further comprises: a program memory storing computer-readable instructions; wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to collect data from the accelerometer, determine a distance traveled based on the data collected from the accelerometer, and to transmit the distance traveled with the transmitter.
 14. The system of claim 10, further comprising: a mobile computing device configured to execute computer-readable instructions to receive data generated by the accelerometer and transmitted by the transmitter, determine a distance traveled based on the data collected from the accelerometer, and to display the distance traveled for a user.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the glove further comprises a heart rate sensor.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the heart rate sensor is disposed in a cuff portion of the glove.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the glove further comprises: a program memory storing computer-readable instructions; wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to collect data from the accelerometer and the pressure sensor, determine an amount of energy expended by the user, and to transmit the amount of energy expended with the transmitter.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein the glove further comprises one or more pressure sensors.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more pressure sensors is disposed in a finger portion of the glove.
 20. The system of claim 10, wherein the transmitter and the accelerometer are electronically configured to transmit data generated by the accelerometer substantially in real time. 